Through December and January, the Westfield Memorial Library is hosting an exhibit called, “Paintings for a Cold Winter’s Day,” by local artist Linnea Rhodes. The library is located at 550 East Broad St.

The water colored pen and ink paintings showcase local scenes and destinations to which Rhodes has traveled. They depict sites in Westfield, while others focus on trips to New Hampshire; Florence, Italy; and Paris, France. There are also some paintings of flowers, fruit, tea pots and Christmas cookies.

In her Artist’s Statement, Rhodes said, “With winter coming soon, I am presenting paintings that should fill the viewer with warm thoughts—the memory of a favorite location on a sunny day, flowers in spring, or images that conjure up comfort. I start my work with a pen and ink sketch and then I add the watercolors later. My goal is to capture both the look and feel of each image.”

Rhodes, who majored in art at Douglass College with a concentration in printmaking, has been sketching in ink for most of her life. She took up painting in oil in 2000 and has been working in water colored pen and inks for the past six years.

Rhodes started showing and selling her work in 2005 when she joined the Contemporary Art Group, a group of currently producing artists from Central New Jersey. She has had solo shows in New York, Massachusetts, and in five venues in New Jersey.

Currently her work is on display at Overlook Hospital and at the D & R Greenway Land Trust in Princeton.

The exhibit can be seen anytime the library is open: Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 1-5 p.m.

Individuals who would like to display artwork and collections at the library should contact head of Adult Services, Jen Schulze at 908-789-4090, ext. 7951.

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages.

For more information call 908-789-4090, visit the library’s website at wmlnj.org and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad St. for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”